Ghost Recon: Desert Siege Chat!                                           

Tuesday, March 5th 2002
When?: Tuesday March 5th, 2:00 pm est (11:00 am pst)
Where?: irc.enterthegame.com
Channel: #GRchat


<UBI_Scopu> Morning everybody - Sam's out sick, so the chat is in the able and nimble hands of Gieger.

<ubi-Geiger> Please private message me your questions /msg ubi-Geiger Question Here
<ubi-Geiger> <PaladinPB> are there going to be more than 5 specialists available in the single player campaign?
<RSEWriter> You're going to have five specialists in the single-player campaign, one of them new.
<RS_Gary> Currently, there are only 5 specialists that are available through the campaign.
<RSEWriter> But the familiar faces from Ghost Recon have been...practicing.
<RS_JohnM> Yeah.
<RSEWriter> You might find them to be a little more skilled than they were.
<ubi-Geiger> From Email: Other than what was announced, is there anything more that comes with Desert Siege?
<UBI_Scopu> We announced pretty much everything - I think RSE has only one trick up their sleeve...
<RS_David> We've got a long list of fixes, tweaks, etc
<RSEWriter> Actually, you also get a bamboo steamer with the game. *whistles innocently*
<RS_JohnM> Other than the strong sense of satisfaction upon completing the challenging campaign?
<RS_Gary> And a manual written by the Man, The Myth, The Legend, Rich Dansky
<ubi-Geiger> From Email: What was the inspiration behind Desert Siege? Did the events of Sept 11th and the assault on Afghanistan have anything to do with it? (I know I probably can't ask this but it would be a good one to include...atleast the first part is ok dontcha think?)
<RS_WidowM> GR DS was designed based on the contrasting settings in the original GR.
<RS_WidowM> There's no doubt that desert conflict has been highly visible within the
<RS_WidowM> news, but our story line runs several years in the future and occurs in a
<RS_WidowM> different country/continent. Similar visuals, radically different story.
<ubi-Geiger> <Sniper[GRRetreat]> Will there be choppers in DS?
<RS_Brian> the motorcycles? nah.
<RSEWriter> Nope. Jeeps, trucks, SAM launchers, tanks, palm trees...but no choppers.
<RS_David> Not unless the modmakers get *really* creative
<ubi-Geiger> <zenhog> Will we be able to control all soldiers on a mission in some type of "follow me" form - instead of having access to a max of 3 at a time?
<RS_Gary> The command map will still function in the same way.
<RS_JohnM> The basic gameplay mechanics of Desert Siege will be the same as Ghost Recon.
<ubi-Geiger> <CSF_Wolf> Will there be any detailed documentation that comes with the added tools? Specifically, anything regarding how to build maps from scratch, as well as new player models?
<RS_JohnM> We've put a lot of time into developing documentation for building maps and objects from scratch.
<RS_JohnM> There will be documentation and examples, but it will not be officially supported after its release.
<ubi-SeanM> I've heard that there's so much documentation, it can break Microsoft Word.
<RS_JohnM> That's funny. I used Microsoft word to set it up, so that's not literally true, but it seems true sometimes.
<ubi-Geiger> <Earthquake> What tools did you use to make the game? like to make the models and the graphics engine and did you code the game in C++? ... and what amelioration did you do in Desert Siege in the graphic engine...
<ubi-SeanM> <looks up amelioration in the dictionary...>
<RS_Gary> The game was coded in C++, the engine is still a homegrown RSE entity.
<RS_WidowM> I think that's emulation....
<RS_WidowM> ?
<RS_JohnM> For art, we used 3D Studio MAX 3 and photoshop, plus some other editing tools provided by our engineers.
<ubi-Geiger> ameliorate = improve upon
<RS_WidowM> ah..
<ubi-SeanM> Geiger's Standard Dictionary, 3rd ed.
<ubi-Geiger> <under_score> Will any of the 9 new weapons in DS be available to non-specialists in single player campaigns?
<RSEWriter> Last time I checked, they were strictly for multi-player.
<RS_Gary> Non-specialist soldiers will still be using their standard kits.
<RS_Gary> Well, one specialist does get a new weapon.
<RSEWriter> She's earned it, though.
<ubi-Geiger> <zenhog> what are the major changes to igor - and will it still be called igor? If it's different, will igor work on DS maps?
<RS_David> Mostly small fixes and improvements to the Igor sub-editors
<RS_JohnM> Igor does work on DS maps, we used it the same as we did for GR.
<ubi-Geiger> <bluez> do you guys plan on making more than jsut the Desert Siege Expansion and if so what else?
<ubi-SeanM> And the bamboo steamer.
<RS_Gary> Igor is still called Igor. Of course it was updated for the new features in Desert Siege, but still works with the original Ghost Recon maps.
<RS_Gary> Igor is still called Igor. Of course it was updated for the new features in Desert Siege, but still works with the original Ghost Recon maps.
<RS_Gary> We are not allowed to comment on possible future products.
<ubi-SeanM> Good answer, Gary.
<RS_Brian> I think gary has that hot keyed
<ubi-Geiger> From Email: Recenly, new cheats/hacks have been popping up for GR. This is expected with any PC game that has been on the shelf for a few months but what do you plan on doing to alleviate it? Will Desert Siege include any possible fixes to current cheats and exploits?
<ubi-SeanM> For an extra ten points, phrase your answer in h4xx0r.
<RS_Gary> We are always looking for ways to improve our games. We have looked at the known issues in the game, and have implemented some fixes.
<RS_David> Several cheats have been addressed for DS
<RS_Brian> or we may just hire thugs to go "discipline" the cheaters.
<ubi-SeanM> <puts on thug outfit>
<RSEWriter> -->*whistles innocently and hefts his crowbar*
<ubi-Geiger> <CSF_Wolf> How are the skins in GR/DS done? Are they drawn from reference pictures, or are they photos?
RS_JohnM> As I understand it, they are begun with photos as a foundation and resource, and they are edited by our character artists.
<RS_Gary> The character artists use a wide range of resource materials to generate the artwork in the game. In fact, all of our artists do.
<ubi-SeanM> Some of the characters do look remarkably like Red Storm people.
<ubi-Geiger><Tspiritstorm> GR seems to be the evolution to Rainbow, however I noticed that a new R6 is in development. What are the differences between the two other than updated engine of course?
<ubi-SeanM> Oooh - can I answer?
<RS_Gary> No
<RSEWriter> No
<ubi-Geiger> hahahah
<RS_JohnM> Can I... oh. okay.
<ubi-SeanM> R6 and GR are different games, though it may not seem that way at first.
<ubi-SeanM> ut the biggest difference will be the spaces, and the type of combat that brings about.
<ubi-SeanM> R6 = close quarters battle, while GR is a wide-open infantry model.
<RS_David> and only GR has Desert Siege!
<RS_JohnM> Yeah!
<RS_Dion> Yeah!
<RSEWriter> Amen!
<ubi-SeanM> yeah.
<ubi-Geiger> From Email: What's the chance of a second Ghost Recon patch being released? Timeframe?
<ubi-SeanM> Copy and paste, Gary!
<RS_Gary> We cannot comment on future releases
<RS_David> I think we can comment on that
<RS_Brian> please do
<RS_David> A second patch WILL be released about the time of DS
<RS_David> It will make GR and DS interoperable
<RS_JohnM> Yeah.
<ubi-Geiger> From Email: Will Desert Siege come in one of those cute little boxes that PC games are becoming more commonly packaged in?
<RS_Demond> yeah i would like to know myself
<RS_WidowM> Sean?
<RS_Brian> i'd like to see that. those big boxes are such a waste, imo
<RS_Gary> I voted for the large steel shipping crate, but that got shot down.
<RSEWriter> I'm not sure I'd use the word "cute," myself...It makes the box sound fuzzy and cuddly.
<RS_Gary> And only the designers are fuzzy and cuddly
<ubi-SeanM> It comes in MEAN little box.
<ubi-SeanM> MEAN!
<RS_JohnM> And it only reaches that state after it's covered in mayonaise for over a week.
<ubi-SeanM> Yes - new little box. Wal-Mart demands the new box size.
<ubi-SeanM> But - if you shop at a lub, like Sam's or Costco, you can get a big box.
<RSEWriter> The mayonnaise treatment, incidentally, is why we never show visitors the RSE break room. It's pungent in there.
<RS_JohnM> And fuzzy.
<ubi-Geiger> <Sniper[GRRetreat]> What was the funnest part of making DS compared to GR? Was there anything in DS that made development funner, more exciting?
<RS_JohnM> The schedule was certainly exciting...
<RS_WidowM> ha ha John
<RSEWriter> Making the assistant designers shriek with terror was definitely fun.
<RS_Demond> toggling the AI on the jeeps and trucks on and off had pretty funny results
<RS_Gary> Getting to work closely with Rich Dansky made it a ... special ... project.
<ubi-SeanM> Was there more "emergent behavior" with the AI on the jeeps?
<RSEWriter> Honestly, though, the biggest fun moment for me was in a team walkthrough, when one of the best players on the team just got completely mauled by mission 6.
<RS_Dion> The Desert setting was overall a nice change
<RS_JohnM> Working on a shorter schedule made the completed product seem that much more satisfying to me.
<ubi-Geiger> <under_score> has the team "base" respawn that has been hinted to be appearing in Seige and Domination MP modes been made available for all other MP modes?
<ubi-SeanM> Marketing would like to point out that even though RSE had to do a lot of work in a short time, this mission pack is comparable to Urban Ops in all its coolness.
<RS_Gary> The team respawn bases are there for all team game types. It would just be silly to make them available to the Solo game types 8-)
<RS_JohnM> Or better, in my opinion.
<RS_David> Except on the training map - no room for good team respawn zones.
<ubi-SeanM> So - explain for the audience - I can now run a Siege game on the Vilnius level in Ghost Recon?
<RS_Brian> who plays team games on the training map??
<ubi-SeanM> l33t clan members. :)
<RS_Brian> "l33t"
RS_Gary> Definitely, all the new game types work retroactively on the old maps. In fact, we did some shuffling of team bases on some of the original ones to better support the team respawn zones.
<RS_Brian> ok.. i'll shush now :)
<ubi-Geiger> From Email: There was a recent announcement about the upcoming release of new modding tools. Will these tools be made available with Desert Siege or will they be a seperate?
<RS_JohnM> Darren?
<RS_David> They will be on the DS CD
<RS_Brian> everybody rejoice !!
<ubi-Geiger> From Email: Ever since the recent patch, why does it seem like some mods simply don't allow the game to work properly? Is there something wrong with the mod or with the patch?
<ubi-SeanM> I can see where this one is going...
<RS_David> Desert Siege has fixes for quite a few modding issues, but nothing that was specifically introduced by the first patch.
<ubi-SeanM> Very diplomatic, David.
<RS_JohnM> Yeah.
<RS_WidowM> We have run a few fan mods with Desert Siege........
<ubi-Geiger> <zenhog> Will there be audio mission briefing capabilities in the multi-player mode? If not, any thought on moving that direction?
<RS_JeffW> ??
<RS_Gary> You will receive text briefings. There are a lot of interface issues with playing the audio briefing. Such as when to start it, when to stop it, etc.
<ubi-Geiger> For Sean!: <Sniper[GRRetreat]> Why is the Ubi-Montreal development house being used to develop this game, and not Red Storm?
<ubi-SeanM> Good question
<RS_Gary> Umm, RSE is developing Desert Siege.
<RS_WidowM> um.......yeah
<RSEWriter> Trust us. We were here.
<ubi-SeanM> I think he's talking about Raven Shield. :)
<ubi-SeanM> It's because Red Storm is really, really sick of Ding Chavez.
<ubi-SeanM> Sorry
<RS_Gary> Don't knock Ding now. We love Ding
<RS_JohnM> Hey, man. Ding don't miss.
<hahnsolo> lol
<ubi-SeanM> It's because Red Storm is very busy with as-yet-unannounced products.
<ubi-SeanM> Montreal has a bunch of skilled developers.
<ubi-SeanM> and Red Storm teams have been to Montreal a few times already.
<ubi-SeanM> for critique, advice, approval, etc.
<ubi-SeanM> On everything from art, to code, to design.
<ubi-Geiger> <under_score> Will RSE be adding any significant graphical upgrades to the GR engine in future mission packs?
<RS_Gary> We cannot comment on future products.
<RS_JohnM> Aren't the graphics good enough now???????
<RS_JohnM> Now Demond is crying...
<ubi-SeanM> The graphics are awesome now - GR is the only game where the soldiers have ROUND helmets and real noses.
<ubi-SeanM> And don't forget the trees.
<hahnsolo> yes we love the chickens the most
<ubi-Geiger> <zenhog> Doing any thinking about addressing a terrorist theme or plot? If so, what?
<RS_Gary> We cannot comment on future products.
<ubi-SeanM> Hmmm - I think the counter-terror games Red Storm makes are called Rainbow Six and Rogue Spear.
<ubi-Geiger> <bluez> Why did RSE choose Africa over other Countries?
<ubi-SeanM> Rich is right now typing "Africa's not a country."
<RSEWriter> You caught me, Sean :-)
<RS_JeffW> Rich couldn't find Yemen on his globe...
<RS_Gary> well, it is a 16th Century sailor's globe that hides his scotch
<RS_Gary> 8-)
<RSEWriter> *ahem* On a more serious note, we decided that we wanted a desert setting, and of all the ones I looked at, the Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict seemed the most plausible and appropriate for what we were doing.
<RS_Dion> I think Africa's is a great setting for the game!
<ubi-SeanM> What's your new favorite multiplayer map in DS?
<RS_JeffW> The last one!
<RS_WidowM> wow tough question
<RS_WidowM> ravine for me
<RSEWriter> anything but ravine for me :-)
<RS_WidowM> ha ha
<RS_JohnM> I like the wilderness best and I probably always will.
<RS_Gary> number 3 for me, that is definitely the fun one.
<RS_Dion> Wilderness is a fun map.
<RS_JohnM> Partially because I'm evil and therefore selfish.
<ubi-SeanM> hmmm - maybe not the right question because we have no visual aids to present to the folks at home.
<RS_Gary> We all like the one that takes place outdoors 8-)
<RSEWriter> Let's just say that all of the new multiplayer maps kick ass, and that I got very, very fond of lobbing grenades over the wall in one of them.
<RS_JohnM> Well, MY answer was serious....
<ubi-SeanM> Okay - got another from the fans: who would win in a GR Competition, RSE or the Players?
<ubi-Geiger> <CSF_Wolf> How did the devolopers working on the weapons determine their accuracy, and how they should 'feel' in the game? Did they get hands on experience with firing the weapons in the game?
<ubi-Geiger> make that 2
<RS_Gary> First one, we will if we get half an hour with the executable before launching the server. For the second one, we used the same methods from Ghost Recon.
<RSEWriter> We tested the weapons by shooting at the assistant designers a lot, basically.
<ubi-SeanM> They tried shooting at marketing, but i have Sith powers. They don't call me Darth Suit for nothing.
<RS_Gary> We start with a base accuracy for the weapon based upon statistics such as barrel length, etc. Then we do some tweaking to those numbers to produce a good balance in the game.
<RS_Gary> We do take into account things like lethality, etc.
<ubi-SeanM> Another from the fans: Any Plans for a Capture the Flag Addon? Or are you waiting for an Elite Modder to Make it?
<RS_Gary> Plus, I came to RSE with prior experience firing guns from a 0.22 to a 20mm vulcan cannon.
<RSEWriter> btb, have to put out something in my office that is on fire.
<RS_Gary> We cannot comment on future products 8-).
<ubi-SeanM> Tell Rich to stop with the spells and incantations.
<RS_David> Search and rescue has some CTF gameplay to it
<RS_Gary> Nope, just his fountain to bring peace and tranquility into his life.
<RS_Dion> We should have a RSE versus Fans Ghost Recon game just for FUN!
<ubi-SeanM> So i guess the opportunity is for a modder to combine Siege and SAR.
<ubi-SeanM> Okay - time for maybe two more.
<RS_Gary> Modders have a wide range of opportunities available to them.
<ubi-Geiger> n we do some tweaking to those numbers to produce a good balance in the game.
<ubi-SeanM> Gary - you're really good with the boilerplate - wanna come to Marketing?
<RS_David> I think modders have only scratched the surface of Igor scripting for missions and game types
<ubi-Geiger> oops
<ubi-Geiger> <zenhog> What about ammo replenishment. (some of us crazies shoot off everything we've got). Any thoughts to letting us pick up ammo from dead combatants, or a mobile armory?
<RS_Gary> Nope, still attached to my soul at the moment 8-)
<RS_Brian> next q ?
<RS_Gary> Nope, just be more careful in how you use your ammo. That is part of what sets us apart from other games.
<RS_Brian> um, did i miss it? i'm blind apparently
<ubi-Geiger> <zenhog> Will there be player skin options to choose from in setup?
<RS_Brian> apparently i'm lagging... sorry :)
<RS_Gary> Skins are still based upon class and platoon in multiplayer. Just like in Ghost Recon.
<ubi-SeanM> There's an internal debate on kits here at Ubi SF
<RS_Gary> Although there are new cool Desert skins for the desert maps.
<RS_David> Not quite - in DS they are based on Company, not Platoon
<ubi-SeanM> Most of us swear by the OICW, but a few folks love demo kit 9 - the Enfield and the AT-4. Which is better?
<RS_Gary> The MG3 and grenades
<RS_WidowM> M60 and grenades
<RS_Gary> Although, I am kind of partial to the M98 now too.
<RS_JeffW> MG3 with more ammo
<RSEWriter> I'm just fond of anything that lets me take out Gary.
<RS_Brian> neither is "better" its all about who is more skilled as a player
<ubi-Geiger> Alright that's all for the questions and it's about time to wrap things up. I'd like to thank everyone for coming and for all the great questions
<RS_Gary> So, basically, Rich doesn't like anything
<ubi-SeanM> ha!
<RS_Gary> Yes, thanks for coming.
<ubi-Geiger> I'd also like to thank the great crew from RSE who showed up in force to answer those questions.
<ubi-SeanM> Thanks to RSE for showing up in force - this is great.
<RS_Brian> we like force
<RS_JohnM> It's been great knowing you all!
<RS_JohnM> Bye now...
<RS_JeffW> safety in numbers...
<hahnsolo> thank you for your community support
<RS_WidowM> it's been fun making this--have fun playing!
<RSEWriter> Enjoy the game